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Anniston "Eastside Rapist" gets life, swears at victims

Monday, March 12, 2012

The man convicted of being Calhoun County's "Eastside Rapist" has been sentenced to maximum prison terms on all 27 counts of an indictment against him, including 14 life sentences. And the judge ordered those sentences to be served consecutively. Ularius Shurod Johnson told the victims he was sorry about what happened to them, but maintained his innocence to the very end. And after receiving his multiple life sentences…he swore at the them.

"F—you! F---you all!" Johnson said toward the victims as he was hauled away in shackles.

District attorney Brian McVeigh later told Fox6, he took that as a veiled threat.

"I think that's exactly what a serial rapist would do," McVeigh told Fox6 after the sentencing hearing. McVeigh also told us the victims "have developed a thick skin, and [Johnson's] juvenile actions don't affect them."

Johnson was charged with a series of incidents in which women were kidnapped, robbed and in a number of incidents, raped and sodomized, from 2007 until just before Labor Day Weekend 2009. In one incident, a woman was raped as her masked assailant held a gun to her four month old baby. In another, two women were kidnapped from the rear parking lot of Anniston's Victoria Inn, with one of them being put out of the car and the other being raped. In most cases, the "Eastside Rapist" forced the women at gunpoint to take him to an ATM to withdraw money. He also robbed them of jewelry, electronics and other items, in one case the guitar that belonged to a victim's boyfriend.

In the last two cases, the assailant shot one woman in her home during a struggle, and days later kidnapped a woman and her two children. During the second incident, trial testimony indicated he pointed a gun at a child's finger as the victim drove past the home where the other victim had been shot in the finger. During the time of the cases, police released sketches of the suspect and even an ATM photo of a masked man driving a Nissan SUV belonging to one of the victims.

Testimony revealed the rapist often pawned, or got other people to pawn, the stolen items, and in some cases even gave stolen jewelry to his girlfriend or others.

Johnson always maintained his innocence, and claimed he received the stolen property in exchange for marijuana he sold. He repeated that claim in court during his Monday morning sentencing hearing.

During the hearing, most of the victims testified about the ordeals they've gone through in life since the incidents and attacks, often discussing panic attacks, fears and nightmares. The woman who was shot in the hand testified about losing the use of two fingers, and how it affected keyboarding, washing dishes, trying on jewelry and holding hands with grandchildren. A few of them testified with tears, and all requested the maximum sentence. A family member of the suspect requested mercy from the court.

The victims declined to be interviewed, but made it known of Johnson's gesture and the language he used in the courtroom. McVeigh described the victims as tired but satisfied with the verdict.

Johnson could, however, be eligible for parole in as little as five years.

"I would hope he never sees the light of day, because I think he's a dangerous person and I think he'd do it again," said McVeigh.

Here is the complete list of sentences on each of the charges. The missing numbers represent charges that were dropped before trial, because one of the victims had passed away.

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